ith the U.S. President secure and the nuke in safe hands as the first episode of GRAW wraps up, you would think Lt. Scott Mitchell and his band of elite infantry would get some well-deserved R&R. But instead of going back to the drawing board after their failed coup, the Mexican revolutionaries are moving straight into their second phase of attack, amassing forces directly across the U.S. border in Juarez. With the Army still playing coy and denying any direct involvement to the build-up, your team of Ghosts must once more take on the role of international janitors to clean up the mess.

Gameplay-wise, GRAW 2 offers a fair share of minor improvements. The high dynamic range lighting gives the sand-swept cities of Mexico yet another layer of stylistic realism and immersion. The new squad selection feature adds tactical thinking to your pre-war plan. Will you choose overwhelming firepower with grenadiers and support soldiers or play it safe by taking a medic? The Cross-com is also vastly improved, as the new version allows you to view the hot zone from the eyes of your squad or support units no matter where they are on the map.

Ghost Recon has always been about great multiplayer, and GRAW 2 keeps the family name intact with a huge selection of maps (some available in night and day modes), dynamic respawn areas that prevent rampant camping, entirely customizable game modes, and a new medic system that gives you the chance to save your teammates in the heat of battle. The new clan system also deserves praise, as it allows you to select custom team names, import logos, choose your team camouflage, find clan matches, and recruit/demote clan members. I would have loved to see a ranking system like those in Battlefield 2 and Rainbow Six Vegas, but it didn’t make it into this version of the game.

Ubisoft also includes six great standalone co-op missions for you to engage with your friends. This mode could have been even better if it allowed us to play the single-player campaign in co-op (once again, a feature introduced in RSV), but we’re left hoping that Ubisoft offers some follow-up missions via a downloadable expansion pack.

With only one year of development and a handful of improvements to offer, the GRAW 2 single-player campaign plays more like an expansion pack than a full-blown sequel. While it still delivers many riveting combat experiences, they aren’t plentiful enough to keep the game from feeling like a step down from its cousin, Rainbow Six Vegas. Enemies still make poor decisions during firefights; when a pile of dead soldiers who have felt the wrath of my sniper rifle lie atop one another, you would think other soldiers would avoid this meat grinder. But no – they foolishly scurry from safe cover locations to join the bloody mound of fallen comrades. The cover system, while still operable, feels clunky now compared to the superior RSV offering. Maybe it’s just my weak arm, but the grenade system in GRAW doesn’t feel as polished as other Clancy titles. It’s not uncommon for me to take out my entire squad as the grenade ricochets off a windowsill or cover point instead of landing by the intended target. It’s also a pain to switch out of your primary weapon just to make a quick toss.

While GRAW 2 may have fallen behind the excellent Rainbow Six Vegas, its great multiplayer and explosive single-player storyline still make this game a tour of duty worth taking.